A growing number of women have joined the Dubai workforce in recent years, reflecting a significant shift in the Emirate’s labor market. Women, employed in public and private enterprises, are now involved in fields which were previously exclusively male dominated, according to Al-Bayan daily.

The UAE government has recently embarked on a campaign to develop its human resources by offering equal access to both men and women in education as well as jobs. Official statistics now indicate that Dubai has the fastest growing female workforce in the Arab world.

Presently, the Dubai Municipality employs 450 women in professional positions, constituting more than 30 percent of the Municipality’s entire staff. Various other state-owned agencies in the Emirate, including the Dubai Land and Property Registry Bureau, have also been hiring a growing number of women. UAE women are also beginning to play a growing role in the Emirates’ armed forces and the police, as well as in the commerce, banking and the oil sectors.

Currently, the Ministry of Education is in the process of establishing training schools for women to prepare them for various private sector jobs. Female graduates in disciplines such as engineering, sciences, office and business administration, information systems and communication are emerging from UAE institutions of higher learning. — (Mena Report)